Episode 6 with Karen Pheasant

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We’re presenting at GRIP (Group for Research with Indigenous Peoples) Spring Research Forum on Urban Indigenous Health at the University of Calgary on Tuesday, May 9th!

Our qualitative researcher on the Women Warriors team, Dr. Rita Henderson and I have been chosen to do an oral presentation on Rise Up Mighty Warrior: Indigenous Women and Stakeholder Engagement for Meaningful Health Promotion.

How does the Women Warriors podcast relate to this presentation? We’re exploring stakeholder engagement through social media strategy. We use social media including Facebook, Twitter, Podcasts and Youtube to reach our audience and build trust, reach people in their environments, and provide them resources – all at no costs to the user! I will record the presentation and post it on our Youtube channel late next week if you’re interested in learning more.

In relation to social media as engagement for both healthcare users and providers, I found my next guest, Karen Pheasant on the First Nations Telehealth Portal. The website hosts a library of educational recordings regarding First Nations health and understanding Indigenous culture to better serve this population as healthcare providers. Karen presented on their 8th Fire Series – Session 1: What is the 8th Fire Prophecy.

In our interview she discuses the racism she confronted while running for Edmonton Public School Trustee in 2013.

EP06 Karen Pheasant on Lifelong Learning, Yoga & Dealing with Modern Day Racism

As the daughter of parents that survived residential school, Karen has witnessed and been a part of the economic and social tragedies of Indigenous peoples: the daughter of an alcoholic father, a high school drop out, and a young single mom. Her strong intuition that knowing one’s culture, kinship system, community and Indigenous identity saved her, and her children from the cycle of intergenerational trauma.

The belief in herself, community and family support, and having Indigenous academic mentors allowed Karen to complete her Bachelor of Arts, Masters in Education, and is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Alberta.

On today’s episode, Karen shares the magic of her traditional territory, Manitoulin Island, the importance of reclaiming our kinship systems, how yoga transformed her life, and her experience running for Edmonton public school trustee.

“One of the unfortunate realities, particularity of my parents time –both my parents are residential school survivors – they grew up with the stigmatism of dumb, stupid Indian. Them being my parents, I grew up with that too.” Karen Pheasant

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